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Duwamish soccer league system
The Duwamish soccer league system, also known as the Duwamishite pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for soccer clubs in Duwamish, with twelve teams from Quinault also competing. The system has a hierarchal format with promotion and regulation between the leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. There are five levels with six leagues. The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 25 per league implies that more than 150 clubs are members of a league in the system. There is a system for women's leagues, which includes teams from Quinault, and it contains around 30 clubs in three leagues over two levels. About the system The system consists of a hierarchy of leagues, bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. Clubs that are successful in their league can rise higher in the pyramid, whilst those that finish at the bottom can find themselves sinking further down. In theory it is possible for an amateur club to rise to the pinnacle of the system and become champions of the Duawmish Soccer League. While this may be unlikely in practice (at the very least, in the short run), there certainly is significant movement within the pyramid. The number of teams promoted between leagues or divisions varies, and promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances. Structure At the top is the single division of the Duwamish Soccer League (which is sometimes referred to as Level 1 of the league 'pyramid'), containing 16 clubs, currently based in Duwamish and Quinault. Below the Duwamish Soccer League is the Duwamish Premier Soccer League (Level 2), which is divided into four conferences of six clubs each. There is currently one Quinaultan club each in the Duwamish Soccer League and Duwamish Premier Soccer League. The Quinault Premier League (Level 3) contains ten clubs based in Quinault only. At level 4, the Duwamish Premier Development League is divided into eight conferences of five clubs each. The West Duwamish Soccer League and East Duwamish Soccer League (Level 5) run in parallel to each other and consist of five conferences of six clubs each for each league. For the three women's leagues, the Duwamish Women's Soccer League is at the top of the pyramid and contains 16 clubs, including fifteen from Duwamish and one from Quinault. At level 2, the Duwamish Women's Premier League and Quinault Women's Premier League consist of two conferences of eight clubs each for each league. Promotion and relegation rules *Duwamish Soccer League (level 1, 16 clubs): The champions of Duwamish men's system, no promotion. Bottom two teams are relegated. *Duwamish Premier Soccer League (level 2, 24 clubs): Top club automatically promoted; winner of league cup, or runner-up if the winner also was first place finisher in regular season, promoted. Bottom two are relegated to Duwamish Premier Development League if from Duwamish or Quinault Premier League if from Quinault. *Quinault Premier League (level 3, 10 clubs): Winner of Quinaultan Championship automatically promoted. Bottom one is relegated. *Duwamish Premier Development League (level 4, 40 clubs): Highest finisher in the Lower Duwamish Open Cup promoted to Duwamish Premier Soccer League (if Duwamishite, if Quinaultan, goes to Quinault Premier League). Lowest two clubs located west of Duwamish Range are relegated to the West Duwamish Soccer League and lowest two clubs located east of Duwamish Range are relegated to the East Duwamish Soccer League. *West Duwamish Soccer League and East Duwamish Soccer League (level 5, 30 teams each, running in parallel): Highest four finishers (two from each league) in the Lower Duwamish Open Cup promoted. No relegation. Women's rules *Duwamish Women's Soccer League (level 1, 16 clubs): The champions of Duwamish women's system, no promotion. Lowest three clubs are relegated to the Duwamish Women's Premier League; if Quinaultan, club(s) is relegated to the Quinault Women's Premier League. *Duwamish Women's Premier League and Quinault Women's Premier League (level 2, 12 clubs each, running in parallel): Highest three finishers (regardless of league) in the Margret Johnson Cup promoted. No relegation. Cup eligibility Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions. *Duwamish Cup: Levels 1–2 *Quinaultan Championship: Level 3 *Lower Duwamish Open Cup: Levels 4–5 For women, all three leagues in the two levels participate in the Margret Johnson Cup. The system :For details of past leagues and changes, see History of Duwamishite soccer. The table below shows the current structure of the Duwamish soccer league system. For each league, its official name, and number of clubs is given. Women's system See also *Soccer in Duwamish *Atia football league system (Atia)